Special Education Needs and Disability

Inclusion and Special Education Needs at Monkspath School

 

Monkspath School is an inclusive school which welcomes all children, supporting them to make good progress academically, socially and emotionally.

We are a mainstream school for 2-11 year olds and we believe in developing strong relationships with all stakeholders so that we can support all children and young people with SEND to achieve their potential.  The school recognises that parents/carers have a unique view of their child's needs and working together ensures that key information is shared and the child is at the centre of all partnership.

At Monkspath School, we have a range of staff who provide additional support to children and families with SEND needs. Out Inclusion team is led by Sally Watson, our SENDCO (Special Education Needs Co-ordinator).

Under the Children and Families Bill, which became law in 2014, Local Authorities are required to publish, and keep under review, information about services that they expect to be available for children and young people with disabilities and Special Educational Needs aged 0-25. This is called the Information Report or Local Offer. All schools must also publish information about what they can offer. This is called the School Information Report. Solihull Local Authority's offer and our School Information Report can be found in the links below, as well as on the policies page of our website.

Below are some links which provide further information about how Monkspath School supports children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities:

SOLIHULL INFORMATION

MONKSPATH SCHOOL INFORMATION

OTHER SUPPORT INFORMATION

Children with Special Educational Needs at Monkspath School

Monkspath School is a mainstream school and the vast majority of our pupils make at least expected progress and are achieving Age Related Expectations. For some children, the progress they are making socially, emotionally or academically slows or stops. If, after carefully targeted interventions, this does not improve we may identify them as having a Special Educational Need. These children will work towards meeting specific targets, with clearly identified provision in place.

 

What support is in place for children with Special Educational Needs at Monkspath School?

With the Code of Practice emphasising that the majority of children should be educated together, this will always be the first level of support. We strive to meet the needs of all our pupils through high-quality teaching and a personalised approach. Some children however, will still need further support to achieve fully. The outline of this is below.

 

  • Early Monitoring (Record of Concern) - Staff or parents will approach a member of the Inclusion Team if they have concerns over a child. The Inclusion Leader, or a member of the Inclusion Team, will observe, offer advice and monitor the child over a period of time. If there is no progress over that period of time, the child will be monitored on the Register of Need at Band 0+ provision. Further observations, advice and strategies with an increase of interventions will be put in place to support the child; these are shared with parents by the Class Teacher.

 

  • Band 0+ – Previously been identified as Early Monitoring (Record of Concern) and additional interventions have taken place within school that are in class/additional/different to those being provided. The Class Teacher will provide interventions that are additional to those provided as part of the school’s usual differentiated curriculum with advice from the Inclusion Leader. A diagnosis that does not require external agencies involvement. Provision and progress of Band 0+ children are monitored by the Assistant SENCo and Inclusion Leader.

 

  • Band 1 – Targeted - some children: Regular interventions that take place within school and outside agencies are involved The triggers for SEN Support Band 1, will be that, despite receiving additional support under Band 0+, the child continues to make little or no progress in specific areas over a period of time and is working at National Curriculum Stages substantially below that expected of children of a similar age. Children will also be included at this level if their emotional and behavioural difficulties, sensory or physical needs and communication or interaction difficulties impede upon their learning and progress.  External Services in an advisory, assessment or teaching capacity will be involved at this stage. A diagnosis whereby external agencies are involved with the child. Needs Based Plan, Inclusion Plan or Management Plan will be written by the Inclusion Leader along with the class teacher to support the child. Each child on Band 1 will have their plans reviewed twice a year between staff and parents and will involve the Inclusion Leader, Class Teacher, Parents, any involved support services and wherever possible, the child. These plans will set out fresh strategies for supporting the child’s progress. If the child does not attend, pupil voice is always gathered by the child for these reviews. The delivery of the interventions and strategies recorded in the Plan continues to be the responsibility of the Class Teacher/TA/LSA. 

 

  • Band 2 – Specialist - few children: A minority of pupils may need individualised and highly-tailored interventions. Where a child's needs are severe and of a high-level, an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may need to be applied for. This will always be discussed with the child's parents/carers.

 

Families of pupils with SEND will be invited to review their child’s progress and provision with the SENDCO, at least twice a year. At these meetings, we can collaboratively to plan for the most appropriate provision and targets for your child.

 

How is the curriculum adapted to support children with Special Educational Needs at Monkspath School?

We aim for our curriculum to give all pupils access to a full and well-rounded learning journey and to experience success. High-quality planning and teaching takes place in all classrooms, designing lessons that allow all learners to achieve. This adaptive teaching may occur through grouping, teaching style, pace, alternative recording opportunities, materials used, support provided or tweaks to the learning environment. Subject leaders also plan for and suggest useful reasonable adjustments that could be made in their curriculum area.

Where appropriate, we work alongside specialist agencies to provide additional support. Parental permission will always be gained before a referral to any external agency is made. All external visitors (coming in to work with, assess, monitor or review children) will need to be agreed by the Head Teacher.

 

How are Special Educational Needs identified and how is progress measured at Monkspath School?

In most cases, the assessment for children with SEND begins in the same way as for other pupils. Class teachers monitor the rate of progress that their pupils are making. When this rate of progress slows, stops or appears to be different to what is typically expected, then further investigation into a range of areas can be carried out. This could be done through observation, assessments or through discussion with key adults (including the child’s families). This investigation may be carried out by staff in school and, in some occasions, external inclusion team staff.

We will always inform parents if we have any concerns that their child has additional needs. We value your input in planning to meet these needs and so wish for you to be involved at all stages. We will often recommend initially that eyesight and hearing are checked, in order to rule these out as contributing factors or underlying causes.

We use a continual cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review for all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs. This allows us to closely monitor progress, plan for and provide effective support and evaluate its impact. The SENDCO specifically monitors SEND pupil progress and also analyses this at key data collection points across the year.

 

How does Monkspath School prepare pupils for moving on to the next stage of their education?

All children at Monkspath School are supported in their transitions between year groups, Key Stages and schools. Before children move into their new classes, the previous and next class teacher meet to discuss the class and the individual needs of the children within it. The class teachers specifically discuss the needs of children with SEND and look at what works well for that child, as well as areas in which they may need more support.

All children spend some time during the last week of the Summer Term with their new teacher. This reduces anxiety about moving classes for all children, but is particularly effective for children with SEND.

We also support our Year 6 pupils in their transition to Secondary School. They have days out at their new schools and we pass on relevant information to their next school to help in the transition process.

 

 

If you have any concerns about your child's needs, please get in touch and a convenient time to meet and discuss this can be arranged.